Taking a Walk
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Wes Mitchell often took to walking late at night to clear his head. Until one night, when the solution literally ran into him.


Wes Mitchell walked along the half-empty streets of Los Angeles, too tired to do anything else, too wired to go back to the hotel and sleep. He hoped to wear himself out, and it's helped in the past. His current topic of sleeplessness bordered, as usual, on his ex-wife, or, actually, Alex's departure the previous day for Sacramento.

She'd come to him two weeks prior, saying she'd been offered a partner position at a law firm in the state's capital. It was too good an opportunity for her to pass up. She'd asked him to accompany her, but he didn't even have to answer for her to know that he was where he wanted to stay.

He missed her, certainly, but he'd made his peace with the absence of his so-called "better half" a few months ago. What he was dealing with now was the loss of his/their/her house. She'd offered to let him buy her out, as both their names were still on the lease, but they'd bought the house together, and living there without her seemed wrong somehow.

So he walked, like he'd been doing the past few days. He'd just about walked the house out of his system when he was jostled slightly by someone running past him.

The person – a girl by her size, hair and dress – turned slightly and began to apologize when Wes saw who it was.

"Kendall?"

"Wes, oh, I'm so sorry. I was running, and –"

"What? Why were you running?" he asked, noting that she wasn't dressed for running. She had on a dress and low heels. "Was somebody chasing you? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, a somewhat embarrassed smile lighting up the dimple in her cheek. "I was just going home. I was at the theater down the street."

"Okay," Wes replied, clearly not following where she was taking this.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing," she said. "But you know, I figured if someone was going to accost me, they'd have a harder time of it if I was running."

Wes blinked at the simplicity of her logic, misguided as it was. He wanted to tell her that it wouldn't make any difference, that anyone who wanted to accost her would do so whether she was standing still or running. But ever since he met the cute forensics tech analyst, he'd felt an urge to protect her, take her under his wing. At first, he thought it was in a sisterly way, a friendly way.

But he wasn't stupid. As he worked with her over the past few months, he knew his feelings for the curly redhead weren't anywhere near what he felt for his siblings. And, as he worked Alex out of his system, he'd found another beautiful woman filling that empty space in him.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to drive, or maybe go with a friend or –"

"It's only three blocks, and I only just moved here six months ago. Haven't had a chance to make many friends. Well, outside of work, I mean. Do you – do you live around here, too?" she asked.

The beeping of a car horn passing made Wes aware that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk having this conversation, and he nodded his head down the street where she was headed and began walking with her. He knew she was waiting for him to answer, but the truth – he was a recent divorced man who'd moved into a hotel a year ago upon separating from his wife and never left – sounded pathetic.

"I live close, yeah. Just taking a walk, clearing my head," he said, hoping the generality of his answer would placate her for now.

"Well, I guess having a cop escort me home is safer than just making a run for it, huh?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. You could always take some self-defense courses, or maybe arm yourself, as well," he said. He noticed after a block that his arm had moved behind her, and his hand was ghosting along her lower back. If she minded, she didn't show it, so he left it there.

"You – you think I need to buy a gun?" she asked. Her steps faltered, and she bumped back against his arm, which he tightened almost reflexively, causing him to half-hug her in the process.

"Not need, no, but it's something to think about," he said.

"Oh, well, maybe, if you think it'll help."

Wes urged her forward again, his hand against her back. He'd only meant to reassure her, give her options that would preclude her from running heels every time she wanted to see a movie after work. "I can help you with it, if you want. In the meantime, why don't you – umm, well, I guess you could give me a call if you're stranded anywhere, and I can walk you home."

Exactly where that idea came from, Wes didn't know, but it didn't matter, as she answered right away.

"Would you mind?"

"No, not at all," he answered truthfully.

"Well, this is me," she said, coming to a halt in front of a building. The cop in Wes noted the well-lit entryway and locked doors.

"Okay, then," Wes said. "If you've got your cell on you, I'll give you my number, you know, the next time you want to take in a late show."

As they exchanged numbers, Wes also took note of the building's number and the street name. Again, he told himself it was merely the cop in him cataloging details, but the man in him, the one who'd insisted on walking her home and had his arm practically around her the entire time, knew what he was doing.

"Thanks, again, Wes, for doing this," she said, slipping her phone back into her purse. "I'm glad I ran into you. I guess, you know, literally."

He was, too, and he mirrored her smile. "I'm glad, too. I'll – uhh, I'll wait to see you go in," he said. And he kept his eyes on her until she disappeared into the elevator.

Though only halfway done with the normal length of his walk, he turned and headed back to the hotel. Somehow the ten-minute interlude with Kendall cleared his mind, and he felt somewhat lighter and happier than he had in weeks.

* * *

**A/N A oneshot that I'm leaving open, for the time being. Wanted to add to the Wes/Kendall group of stories that's growing on the site. I'm really liking this couple, as completely unconventional as it is.**

**Thanks, and if you've got a second for a review, I'd appreciate it more than you know. :)**


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